National Rifle Association

The hotly contested 8th Congressional District campaign took another turn this week, over guns. The National Rifle Association is pouring nearly $750,000 into a negative ad which mocks incumbent Democratic Congressman Rick Nolan. The ad features an actor in a suit and a goofy hat, posing for election-year photos. “Nolan doesn’t get basic gun safety, and doesn’t know how many shells go in a duck gun,” the ad says.

The nation’s most powerful gun rights group is targeting Minnesota Rep. Rick Nolan with a massive ad blitz the week before Election Day. The National Rifle Association has reserved $750,000 in ads starting Oct. 28, according to public filings. NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker confirmed the ads would focus on Minnesota’s 8th District.

With his gun proposals dividing Congress, President Barack Obama conceded Monday the challenges he faces in winning support for measures ranging from criminal checks on gun buyers to an assault weapons ban. But, he declared: “We don’t have to agree on everything to agree it’s time to do something.”

A Minnesota congressman who’s a former teacher and gets straight A’s from the National Rifle Association says he’s “deeply disappointed” with the NRA’s proposal for posting armed police officers at every school.